41 Chapter 2: The Plan (1/2)
”Alright, you can stop the carriage, here, kid,” Soykan said as he drew the curtains back.
Magnus did as he was told as he reined in the horses and parked the vehicle in the back alley of their targeted location. The place they were about to strike was a massive stone-built, three stories tall tavern, that was the bona fide hideout of the Jade Vipers gang.
Soykan walked up to Magnus while Bulut stayed back as he double checked his equipment, ”You know what your job is, right?” Soykan asked with a raised eyebrow.
”Yep, I know exactly what I am supposed to do,” Magnus said with unveiled sarcasm. ”Twiddle with my thumbs and do precisely nothing.”
”Magnus,” Soykan said in a dangerously low voice. ”You have a very important job here, not only are you going to spring us away from the crime scene, but you will also be shaking off any pursuers we get. Now are you up for the task?”
Magnus knew his insolence would not get him anywhere, but he had to vent his anger and frustration. Nevertheless, somebody had to do the job, and who better than the youngest and most inexperienced.
Sigh
”Alright, I will do as you ask,” Magnus uttered, giving in to the demand of the job and accepting his circumstances.
”Good, if all goes well then we will be back in a few moments.”
Then with that statement, he proceeded on his way as he walked through the back alley entrance that Bulut just lock picked and was gone out of sight as the door closed behind him.
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Magnus rested his head against the carriage's oaken frame, this was taking way too long, and he did not like it one bit.
The plan was simple, go in, get everything you can, then get out.
However, now they have been gone for what, a full phase of the moon, meaning a good hour.
Then his mind started to churn out dark and bloody thoughts, images of everyone laying dead started to play in his mind. He knew he was being stupid; these guys were the toughest sons of bitches he knew. And that is saying a lot, all his life has been surrounded by hard, hardy folk who takes what comes with a straight faces.
Regardless of it all though he knew something must have gone wrong, he just felt it in his bones. Yet there was nothing he could do about it. His job description was simple and whatever Soykan spewed; it was just stay put, and do nothing!
He wished they had the comforts of modern technology, a comlink would go a long way right now.
Magnus tried to calm himself down by thinking over everything, especially the plan.
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*Flashback*
”This will be a quick and easy job.” Soykan declared as he handed everyone a copy of all the gathered data on their latest job.
”When is it ever quick and easy,” Taylan joked.
Soykan gave him a withering look but added nothing to his commentary. ”We will be targeting the Jade Viper gang, a small gang that is barely holding on to a district.”
”Then why are we targeting these small-time bozos?” Taylan asked, interrupting Soykan mid-stride.
”Taylan,” Soykan said as he turned to face the thief. ”I swear by the Great Sage, if you open your yapper one more time. I will permanently shut it for you.”
”Heard you loud and clear, boss,” Taylan replied, giving way for Soykan but still keeping up with his antics.
”You would be doing all of us a great service, if you did so right now,” Shui muttered, more than loud enough for everyone around the table to hear.
Bulut hid his laughter with fake coughing, but Magnus, on the other hand, snickered out loud.
Taylan gave Shui a dirty look but said nothing more.
”As tempting as that is,” Soykan stated. ”Let's get back to the meeting on hand,” putting a close to the matter.
”As I was saying, we will be targeting the Jade Viper gang. Their hideout isn't the tavern on top which is called the Copperhead Bar, that is only a front which they use. Their real hideout is what lays underneath. They have vast tunnels that stretch an entire city block that they call home.”
Soykan took a pause there as he reached into his parchments and took out a single large one among the whole mess. ”Thankfully with a few well placed bribes we were able to get the full map of tunnels,” he declared as he held out the well detailed animal skin for all to see.
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Then he laid it down in the middle of the table and pointed at an area on the map, ”Our target will be this room, here” he stated. Magnus tried to make sense of it but it only looked like an ugly gun to him.
”This here is the treasure room,” Soykan thankfully clarified, parting the clouds of ignorance for Magnus. ”It will be our target for the day.”
”Could you pause right there,” Magnus asked.
Soykan nodded his head, and Magnus carried on, ”Even though Taylan did not phrase it the best way possible, he still raised a good concern. This is a small gang we are talking about here, even if we hit its treasury, it will only have a few hundred gold lions we will be looking at. I do not know about you, but don't we usually hit something a bit more lucrative?”
”Excellent observation, chap,” Soykan praised.
”O come on,” Taylan shouted as he raised his hand up in the air.
Soykan ignored him and continued on, ”What is in the treasury is not just some measly amount collected by these small-timers, but a tribute!”
”To whom?” Magnus asked as he took a sip of his drink. He was already thinking along the lines that this offering was going to some larger gang for protection and backing.
”The Guild!”
The wine that he swallowed came spewing out from his mouth while some went down the wrong windpipe. Once he was able to control his coughing fit, Magnus asked in a voice near to hysteria, ”Are you out of your MIND?”
”No, I think I am perfectly sane,” Soykan replied once he thought over the question... for only the briefest of moments. ”Though there is a fine line between genius and insanity.”
”Oi, can it!” Magnus said with a snort.
Then getting back to his major concern which he feared would be the death of them, ”This is the GUILDS we are talking about here,” he said as if he was talking to a small child. ”You just don't mess with them, god forbid stealing!”
”We did this plenty of times,” Taykan said with a careless shrug, butting into the conversation.
”Really?” Magnus asked in bated breath as he looked at each corner in turn, looking for shadows.
”Yeah, we robbed from most of the Major and Minor Guilds in the Starry Mountains,” Taykan replied. ”Plus you even helped out in perpetrating some.”
”What?” Magnus uttered, a bit slow to the uptake. Then when he repeated it in his mind, he shouted, ”WHAT!”
”Taykan, stop messing around with the lad,” Shui said as he gave the man a condescending look. ”Plus don't lie to him, the only Guilders we stole from in this city is Guild members and we all know that they are not really Guilders.”
”What I just couldn't help it, he was acting so like a fearful, regular, and law abiding citizen. We are the Infamous Menace, we rob from everyone-- though not widows, children, and elderly. Anyways, the Guilds are the juiciest of targets, so why shouldn't we have them share with us poor fellows.”